Hi first post.

I'm currently looking at an s2000.

2002, ap1, invidia q300, megan coils, ap2 front bumper with oem lip, ap2 tail lights, eibach front and rear sway bars. has a noise from clutch release bearing. Also has noise coming from the diff. Rebuilt title. $17,500 cdn.

So my questions are the diff's on these cars good, or is it a common issue?

Are there any other common issues with the s2000's?

Also I looked at some after market diff's and they seem to be around $1000 usd up to $3000 usd.

I'm a bit concerned about the diff. Should I be worried? What is your experience?

 

Haven't seen the car, but looking at your description, it looks like there's more molestation than there was maintenance done on the car.

Cars don't have rebuilt titles for no reason at all.

~$18k CDN for a ~17years old rebuilt car? Walk away man.

 

Yeah i say hard pass. The diffs in these cars are solid. I know people who track these cars hard and havnt had to replace the diff yet. Also 17k CDN seems super high for a rebuilt title. Most AP1s with a rebuilt/salvage title that are bone stock and in great working condition go for 7000-10000$ USD in California where we pay a premium for these cars.

 

 

The seller says the rebuilt title is due to theft. He will provide me with a carfax later in the week.

17k is rather on the low end. We have clean title ones going for 30k here. Fyi, you can't just do a straight conversion from usd to cdn. Different cities/counties have different re-sale values. Everything in the US us cheaper than in Canada. I'm more concerned about the diff, than the price.

I'm also looking at another s2k. 2004, oem front lip, twin flex z coils, and volk re30's, 22k, rebuilt title.

 

Honestly the prices arent that far off. Clean S2k in California are between 20k-30k USD, thats 30k-40kCDN for you.

Regardless, the diff shouldnt be having issues. If it is, that tell me that he drove that car hard and probably tracked it quite often. You dont get that kind of wear by normal driving. Even if it was a daily. For reference, my first S2000 was a 2004 with 118k miles on it.and had zero mechanical issues.

The second car seems like a much better deal. Again i'd ask for the carfax and find out why it has the rebuilt title.

To be honest though, If price doesnt seem like much of an issue, why not just go for an unmodded clean title?

 

2002 and 2004 cars are different generations. Research the differences, don't think they're all alike. Honda upgraded them every two years. Major changes, including the engines and gearbox in 2004. 2006 and up are the last and arguably the best generation (other than the few hundred CR models).

-- Chuck

 

Price is an issue. I have the money to buy a clean title one, but i refuse to spend the money for one. I want to keep around $20k cdn or less. The second one i could probably get it under $20k after some negotiations. The volk Re30 wheels are worth some money. Seller said he'd be willing to sell without the volk re30 wheels, which can drop the price quite a bit.

I'm aware of some changes, like the rear window (plastic/glass), the suspension (but its a moot point) both cars have coilovers on them, the engine i don't care if its the 2.0 or 2.2, doesn't matter to me. Didn't know they changed or upgraded the transmission over the years. What changes did they make to the transmission from a 2002 to 2004?

 

Even a cursory search on the internet will turn up a Wiki with details...

-- Chuck

 

I'm going to be honest I cant imagine that you cant find a clean S2k for 20k CDN. Even if prices are a bit more over there, if I did the conversion correctly, thats almost 15k-16k USD. My first S2000 was a clean title no accidents 2004 with 116k miles on it. I paid 16k for it. It sounds like you really want an S2k and I'll be the last person to try to convince you to get something else. However I feel you could afford to wait a bit till a better deal shows up. Theres no reason why you cant find a decently taken care of higher mileage AP1 with a clean title for under 20k CDN. Just doing a quick nationwide search of Canada, I found a 2001 AP1 in Spa Yellow with 82000 KM on it going for 16k CDN. Clean title.

My personal advice, if you dont care if its a rebuilt/salvage whatever then that expands your search a bit. However wait a bit till you find a really good deal. They are out there. Theres no point giving yourself an even bigger headache by purchasing something that needs a ton of repair just because its cheap now. Remember, this is a car that has been out of production for almost 10 years. Depending on your area, parts and mechanics who know this car will be either hard to come by or expensive as all hell. Just be a bit patient and find something that matches your budget without sacrificing on quality.